Discoveries, innovations, and insights that illuminate the future of the built environment

For Memorial Day 2017, McKinstry is featuring Q&As from a few of the many veterans who are part of our McKinstry family. Pictured above in both his military (at far left) and civilian life, Chris Di Re is a U.S. Army veteran, former Camo2Commerce Corporate Fellow, and current Project Engineer on our Mechanical Majors team. Here’s what Chris had to say about his military service, his time as a military fellow at McKinstry, and the personal significance of Memorial Day:

For Memorial Day 2017, McKinstry is featuring Q&As from a few of the many veterans who are part of our McKinstry family. Pictured above in both his military and civilian life, Adam Fugent is a U.S. Army Infantry Officer and a current Camo2Commerce Corporate Fellow with our corporate facilities team. Here’s what Adam had to say about his military service, his time as a military fellow at McKinstry, and the personal significance of Memorial Day:

Throughout 2016, McKinstry’s Western Washington Region organized an “Everyday Innovation” campaign that set out to share innovations and recognize innovators company-wide. We chose this name for the campaign because even smaller-scale or “everyday” innovations can make a big difference in improving the way we work.

All said, the organizers of the campaign have received more than 60 submissions that highlight an impressive array of creative thinking and have sparked discussions about innovation throughout McKinstry.

While the campaign is ongoing, we’ll be featuring nine of the very best innovation submissions we’ve received thus far in a series of Everyday Innovation posts. [Read more…]

From L to R: Lena, Nicole, and Allison, pictured on a jobsite in Bellevue, Wash.

For this year’s Women in Construction Week (WIC Week), which runs from March 5-11, we spoke with three women—Nicole Jetson, Allison Camper, and Lena Rowe—who work in the construction trades for McKinstry. Below are excerpts from that interview, covering their careers in construction, their experiences as women in the trades, and their thoughts on how to increase representation of women in their industry.

Throughout 2016, McKinstry’s Western Washington Region organized an “Everyday Innovation” campaign that set out to share innovations and recognize innovators company-wide. We chose this name for the campaign because even smaller-scale or “everyday” innovations can make a big difference in improving the way we work.

All said, the organizers of the campaign have received more than 60 submissions that highlight an impressive array of creative thinking and have sparked discussions about innovation throughout McKinstry.

While the campaign is ongoing, we’ll be featuring nine of the very best innovation submissions we’ve received thus far in a series of Everyday Innovation posts. This post features the first three submissions.

Today, November 11, is a day unlike any other. Veterans Day gives us all an opportunity to pause and appreciate the service and sacrifice of our nation’s veterans. To all the veterans across our nation—thank you.

In their own words, here are some thoughts about service, sacrifice, and Veterans Day from an assortment of veterans at McKinstry (seen above). This is their day, and we couldn’t be prouder to have these men and women on our team.

Nick Biesold, Mike Wilfong and Ryan Hough have cumulatively served for decades in the Army and the Marines. They’ve served in the air, on land and at sea. They’ve been deployed stateside, around the world on amphibious aircraft carriers, in Iraq and in Afghanistan.

As Memorial Day approaches this year, though, all three men find themselves in the same place: McKinstry’s safety department.

Unfortunately, we don’t really know how much water is being consumed or how much is lost in transit. However, “smart” water meters and their infrastructure can help establish an accurate baseline across an entire city or utility. This can help reduce water waste, identify leaks and generate vital usage data.

This is an aerial view of CenturyLink Field and Event Center, which is topped with an array of solar panels—as seen in the lower left. The view is from the south facing north towards downtown Seattle and was photographed on August 13, 2011. (ROD MAR/SEATTLE SEAHAWKS AND SOUNDERS FC)

As the leaves fall and the air grows colder, there’s one thing which draws an opinion from almost everyone:

Whether it’s football, basketball, hockey, or another fall sport, people love to play, watch, and talk about athletics. While we love sports at McKinstry, they’re also part of our job.

Much as teams have to practice and plan in order to play their best on game day, McKinstry has to work hard behind the scenes in order to make sure the stadiums and arenas hosting millions of fans are up to that task.

Here are the stories of three athletic facilities where McKinstry’s work has had a major impact on fans and players alike:

Whether we’re working in factories, offices, or schools, our core goal is always the same: making the built environment more efficient and less siloed.

A building or space can be “smart” in many different ways, but the smartest buildings are usually extremely efficient. How, then, should building owners and operators strive to make their buildings smarter and attain that efficiency?